29th July 2010, 10:15 AM
Quote:
I know for a fact that Wessex are busier than they've been in years - for now at least the 'downturn' is in full reversal, at least on the construction front. The 'Heritage Statement' and DBA are becoming more sought after in advance of planning since the introduction of PPS5.
Greyfriar
northerner- there is big confusion in the curators minds as to what going on. HE6 says submit with every application. The curators are still carrying on as they always have. pps5 does not seem to have changed anything for them. ALL the curators are trying to hang on to pre-application discussion. This is done through case officers. There is a charge for this advice so in effect it has become a formal procedure. As far as I am concerned the ?lets have a discussion at the earliest opportunity because it says it in ppg and pps5 is a load of rubbish particularly as for the curator to give it some consideration they must then research the site. What you really are having is the first discussion about whats required-HE6 now tells us.
Currently the curators have a great get out which is if they dont ask for anything nobody will ever know if there was anything there. The curators leave no ifa type record of the basis of their assessment. There is absolutely no comeback on them. Most planning applications are a lottery. The thing is that HE6 needs to be set up particularly if we start losing curators due to cuts. What it needs is for consideration of archaeology to be put in the planning application packs, on the forms. We can then start talking about what is a dba. Most that the curators see are for big schemes. What we need is to design them for the smallest up and the words inexpensive have to be applied. Its the demands of the curators which makes them expensive?they seem to be able to go through 100s of applications and find that nothing is required. This must have a cost per application and set the standard.